General Conclusions and Perspectives

Book chapter, 2026

The use of marine field exposure sites for testing and investigating structural concrete materials needs careful planning, persistence in observation and onerous onsite labor and heavy laboratory works. Nevertheless, field exposure stations provide a unique data source for the response of concrete materials to the actual environmental actions. These data support the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of deterioration and the mastering of durability performance to ensure the required service life of concrete infrastructures and structures. Through the comprehensive works engaged during the life of RILEM TC 289-DCM, the whole picture of marine exposure practice was constituted by the characterization of exposure sites, the definition of exposure relevant information, the identification of scientific and engineering models to help the interpretation, the establishment of a technical guideline for designing and operating exposure sites, and the support to service life management for concrete structures in severe marine environments.